Daystar University reopens campuses alongside online study
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Daystar University Staff go through access protocols on arrival at the Athi River Campus.
Daystar University has reopened its campuses for the resumption of physical classes beginning October 19, 2020.
In response to the government advisory on reopening, Daystar University has created a special Block Semester, which is scheduled to begin with a two-day orientation for new students on October 15-16, 2020.
The special semester will cater for First Year students admitted into the August 2020 semester, who got time-barred for online classes; students who have not been able to take online classes since March 2020 due to challenges associated with eLearning; postgraduate students attending theses/dissertation defences; students taking practical courses who need blended learning; and final year students.
The reopening of Kenya’s education sector was announced through a Presidential address on September 28, 2020. As the global lockdown necessitated by Covid-19 lifts around the world, different sectors continue to respond to advisories on resumption of normal operations.
On September 29, 2020, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Education Prof George Magoha, issued an advisory on resumption of the academic calendar, further calling on universities and tertiary institutions to reopen progressively effective from Monday October 5, 2020.
Kenya’s education sector has remained closed since March 2020, with only a few adaptive institutions being able to transition students from the traditional classroom to eLearning. Even for these, moving all students was not easy.
On its part, Daystar University transitioned 94.79 percent of students registered for the January/April 2020 semester to online study. The university’s leadership further gave commitment to support the remaining 5.21 percent of students who were unable to take online classes due to lack of laptops and internet data.
“I assure all my students that none of you will be left behind. We shall organise for your seminars, remedial classes, and special exams when we reopen,” assured the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Laban Peter Ayiro.
Classes for the new Block Semester will begin on October 19, 2020 on both Daystar University campuses in Nairobi and Athi River. Both the ongoing online and face-to-face semesters will run parallel to end on December 11, 2020 and December 23, 2020, respectively.
Staff and Faculty have already resumed duty since October 12, 2020 in readiness to receive students.
The resumption of on-campus operations is subject to strict adherence to Covid-19 protocols and guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health.
In the interim period, Daystar will hold its 43rd Graduation Ceremony virtually on November 13, 2020, streamed live on www.daystar.ac.ke in observance of the Ministry of Health protocols and guidelines.
“As we come to terms with the realities left behind by Covid-19, we acknowledge that the pandemic has shifted things in ways we did not expect and established a new order guided by protocols for social distancing and minding personal hygiene. Covid-19 has also normalised the adoption of online study and new ways of working,” says the VC.
Daystar University’s phased reopening will be fully realised in January 2021 when all students return to their respective campuses for full-day and evening classes. After full reopening, online classes will be reserved for programmes offered under the Daystar University Online, Distance and Electronic Learning (ODeL) directorate.
In the meantime, we continue to admit students into various academic programmes ranging from certificate to diploma, undergraduate, postgraduate diploma, masters and doctoral degrees.
For more information, contact Daystar Information on [email protected] or call: + 254 709 972 000. For academic matters, reference should be made to: [email protected]
